British attorney Edward Craven has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to impose remedial measures on Venezuela, including ordering the withdrawal and destruction of maps it has created and circulated depicting Guyana’s Essequibo region as Venezuelan territory.
Making submissions on Guyana’s behalf, Craven argued that Venezuela has repeatedly defied the court’s provisional measures and must now be compelled to reverse those actions.
“Those orders are of course binding and they create international legal obligations for Venezuela,” he told the World Court.
He stressed that Venezuela’s conduct since December 2023 demonstrates a pattern of deliberate non-compliance.
“In short, the factual record demonstrates that from the moment the court made its first provisional measures order… Venezuela deliberately, repeatedly and flagrantly violated the provisional measures indicated by the court,” Craven said.
At the heart of Guyana’s request, he explained, is the need to restore the status quo prior to those breaches.
Craven outlined two key remedies being sought. First, that the court formally declare Venezuela in violation of its orders. Second, that it require Venezuela to undo all measures taken in breach of those orders.
“The court should order Venezuela to revoke… each and every law, decree and other domestic act which has been enacted or taken in violation of those provisional measures orders,” he said.
This, he noted, includes legislation purporting to incorporate Guyana’s territory into Venezuela and to extend Venezuelan jurisdiction over it.
Craven went further, calling for the removal of official representations of the disputed territory from Venezuela’s national materials.
“The court should also order that Venezuela must withdraw and destroy the official maps that purport to depict Guyana-Essequiba as part of Venezuela,” he stated.
He argued that such measures are necessary to ensure full reparation under international law and to reverse the effects of Venezuela’s actions.
“These measures are requested because Venezuela is under the obligation… to re-establish the situation which would, in all probability, have existed if those breaches had not been committed,” Craven explained.
Drawing on past rulings of the court, he said similar orders have been made where unlawful acts remained in force, requiring states to rescind measures and restore the prior legal position.
Craven maintained that compliance would not be burdensome.
“An order in these terms is a logical, reasonable and legally inescapable consequence of Venezuela’s breaches,” he said.
Guyana’s legal team is asking the court to ensure that its authority is upheld and that Venezuela’s actions—described as persistent and deliberate violations—are effectively remedied.
Craven concluded the first round of arguments allocated to Guyana in the case. Venezuela is scheduled to present its submissions on Wednesday.
